Protective appliance for hair driers



Sept. 22, 1942. M. THOMPSON 2,296,484

PROTECTIVE APPLIANCE FOR HAIR DRIERS Filed 001'. 28, 1941 I N V EN TOR. M/CE/VA Mom/ J0 v A TTOE/VE r Patented Sept. 22, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to appliances for use in so-called beauty shops or beauty parlors, and aims to provide a useful and practical article adapted to be releasably secured in the hood of a heated hair drier and applied about the head of the wearer in such a fashion as to protect the forehead, ears and neck of the wearer from the heat coming down from the dome.

Another object of the invention is the provision of adjustable securing means on the device so that it may readily fit into, and be releasably secured in, hair drying hoods of various sizes.

A further object is the provision of such an article in a form in which it is practical and efficient in operation and yet simple and inexpensive in cost of manufacture.

The above and other objects will become apparent in the description below, reference being had to the accompanying drawing which forms a part thereof. It is to be noted that the drawing is intended to serve the purpose of illustration only, and it is neither intended nor desired that the invention be limited necessarily to the exact details of construction shown excepting insofar as is consistent with the spirit and scope of the invention.

Referring briefly to the drawing, Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a hair drier applied to the head of a person, showing the device applied thereto.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the device itself.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the device.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal view through the hood and the device of Figure 1.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the numeral I9 indicates, by way of illustration only, a hair drying hood, Such hoods are usually hollow and have electric heating coils, not shown, within the walls, which supply the heat for the purpose of drying the hair.

The hollow chamber II of the hood I0 is enclosed by the inner wall I2, and the hood is slipped over the head of a person with the top of the head registering in the chamber I I. As commonly used, the heat in the chamber II is continuously supplied by the electric coils, and some of the heat continually escapes through the bottom of the hood around the face and neck of the wearer. This occasions considerable discomfort, which the present invention aims to overcome.

The device comprises a substantially U-shaped or horse shoe shaped resilient frame I3, made of spring steel or any other suitable material. A plurality of collars M, which may be of a suitable metal or any other desired material, are slidably mounted on the frame I3. Straps or chains I5 hang from the collars I4, one from each collar, and each chain I5 has a hook I6 at its lower extremity. A cloth band I'I, made of any desired or suitable material, has its upper peripheral edge secured detachably to the hooks I6, whereby it is suspended from the chains I5. The pattern of the band I8 is so cut that the rear end I8 extends downward lower than the forward end I9, the plane of the lower peripheral edge of the band I8 thus lying at an angle to the horizontal, substantially as shown. A tie band 20, which may be elastic if desired, is threaded through a hem 2| formed in this lower peripheral edge, whereby the said edge may be tightened about the head of the wearer.

As shown in Figure 1, the device is applied to the hood and to the head of the person, with the shorter end I9 of the cloth band I'I covering the forehead. Since this part of the head lies either in, or very near to, the chamber I I, and it is unprotected by hair, it is the part most sensitive to the heat emanating from the chamber I I. It has therefore been thought desirable to insulate the forehead further from the heat by providing means for mounting one or more layers of tissue paper or the like against the inner surface of the part I9 of the band H, A series of spaced vertical loops 22 are secured by their ends against this inner surface, and a length of tissue paper 23 may be drawn therethrough to be held between the front I9 of the band I! and the forehead of the wearer. This paper may be removed and destroyed as soon as the drying operation is over.

The device as shown in Figure 3 appears substantially as it would when in position in the hood When outside the hood, however, the resiliency of the frame I3 forces the two arms thereof apart from each other as far as the front length of the band II will permit. In use, the device is inserted into the chamber II to the desired position and the arms of the frame I3 are released, whence they spread apart and frictionally grip the walls I2 and thus support the device in place. With the string 20 undone or loose, the band I! is then slipped around the head, with the front section I9 covering the forehead and the rear I8 extending down to the end of the hair line of the neck, and the string 20 is then tightened. Now, with the heat turned on, the forehead, ears and neck are all well protected from excessive heat, and the discomfort of the person is reduced to a minimum.

The loose suspension of the band I! from the frame I3, by virtue of the chains I5, permit of some freedom of movement of the head of the wearer during the drying operation, which is obviously desirable. The hooks l6 serve as a means of securing the band I! to the chains, and the band is thus easily removable from these hooks for laundering, and a new band may likewise be easilyv attached. Of course any other securing means which will serve the same purpose may be used instead of the hooks shown. The slidability of the collars 14 on the frame 13 permits what may be termed collapse ofthe de vice when stored, as the collarsmay all beslid. to the center of the frame, permitting the frame.

to asume its inherently normal position, a straight line.

Obviously, modifications in form and structure may 'be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim: 1. A device of the class described comprising a horizontal resilient U-shaped frame, a plurality of spaced chains secured to and suspended from said frame throughout the length of the frame, and an endless cloth band having its upper peripheral edge secured to said chains, said band below the open end of said U frame being of substantially lesser width than at the opposite end of said U, the lower peripheral edge of said band having a tie string thereon.

2. A device of the class described comprising a horizontal resilient U-shaped frame, a plurality of-spaced collars slidably mounted on said frame, chains secured to said collars and suspended therefrom, hooks on the ends of said chains, and an endless cloth band having its upper peripheral edge secured to said hooks, said band below the open end of said U frame being of substantially lesser width than at the opposite end of said U, the lower peripheral edge of said band having atie string thereon.

' MELCEN HQMPS'ON- 

